Florence Broadhurst

An Australian icon of the design world, Florence Broadhurst was a prolific multi-disciplinary creative chameleon with successes spanning the globe. Born in rural Australia in 1899, Florence Broadhurst began her flamboyant career in India and China, singing her way through the roaring twenties and founding her own Academy of Performing Arts. She reinvented herself in London as “Madame Pellier”, a French couturier dressing the rich and famous. A decade later she moved back to Australia as an aristocratic Englishwoman, entrepreneur and landscape painter. With each transition, Florence became someone new - new hair colour, new accent, sometimes even a new name. At the age of 60 she launched her defining venture to international acclaim, a wildly successful luxury handprinted wallpaper business. Inspired by geometric designs and nature, Florence’s bold, oversize screen prints grew in number to an archive of over 500 images, ranging from tapestries to geometrics, florals, psychedelia and exotic chinoiserie. 

After her untimely death and the decline in popularity of wallpaper in the 80’s, Florence Broadhurst prints had all but disappeared. Today, however they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to the support of Sydney’s Signature Prints and Signature Design Archive. Licensed across a range of product categories including soft furnishings, manchester, toiletries, gifts, stationery, luggage, apparel and accessories, key collaborations include Kate Spade NY, Qantas and David Jones department stores. A revolutionary in design and business in her own lifetime and beyond, Florence was a role model for women whose inimitable work continues to inspire the world today.